Free Republic

Deceptive Chimp Hides Ammo, Blasts Unsuspecting Zoo Visitors - (Santino just 1 second before the throw.) A chimp that creates hiding places for rocks he throws at zoo visitors reveals for the first time that humanity's closest living relatives can plan to deceive, researchers say. These findings could shed light on the evolution of higher mental functions such as planning, investigators added. The chimpanzee known as Santino is the dominant male of his group at Furuvik Zoo in Sweden. Intriguingly, past research showed the ape calmly gathered stones from his enclosure's moat and pieces of concrete he pulled off an...

Charlotte, NC --(Ammoland.com)- On Friday, May 10, Governor Terry Branstad announced that he will nullify the traditional ammunition ban in Iowa. In July 2011, the Iowa Natural Resources Commission imposed the ban –after the topic was debated and resoundingly rejected by the legislature– following the enactment of the first dove-hunting season since 1918. The NRC slipped in the ban on the use of all traditional ammunition while setting bag limits and other regulations with regard to the reenacted Iowa dove-hunting season. “The National Rifle Association would like to thank Governor Branstad for rescinding this ill-conceived scheme by the Iowa Natural...

Cerro Gordo County, IA - Local law enforcement is making an effort to keep ammunition out of the wrong hands. On Saturday, Cerro Gordo County hosted an ammunition collection day. Folks are encouraged to drop off their unused, unwanted or expired ammunition. Officers said not only will this help keep the ammunition out of the wrong hands, but it will also help keep your home safe. "It's very explosive, so if there is fire in your house it can go off and then we're putting our friends at the fire department and our neighbors at risk," said Officer David Studder...

The House on Tuesday passed legislation giving hunters and fishing enthusiasts access to certain public lands to pursue their sport and also blocked the Environmental Protection Agency from banning lead for use in ammunition and fishing tackle. The Sportsmen’s Heritage Act passed on a mostly party line vote of 274 yeas and 146 nays. Republicans argued that the ability of sportsmen and women to fish and shoot on public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service is being threatened by the Obama administration and environmentalists through bureaucratic regulations. Republicans also said that banning lead bullets...

Submitted by National Shooting Sports Foundation on Apr 10, 2012 The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday denied yet another frivolous petition by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) — an established anti-hunting group — calling for a ban on the traditional ammunition (containing lead-core components) for hunting and shooting. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry, applauds the EPA’s latest decision and called upon Congress to immediately pass the Hunting, Fishing and Recreational Shooting Sports Protection Act (S.838/H.R.1558). In the House of Representatives, the bill is also included...

The Department of Homeland Security has made news in the past few weeks with the revelations that they have purchased up to 650 million rounds of .40 caliber hollow point ammunition. Now, despite ignoring requests as to why they need that much ammo, they have moved forward and purchased an unknown amount of bullet resistant booths to possibly be stationed at unannounced checkpoints throughout the country.

The federal government will not go ahead with a proposed rule requiring ammunition to be kept locked up, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said Thursday. At present, guns must be locked, but not ammunition. The proposed regulations - to do with storage of explosives - would have required all gun owners to install a locking box or safe in their homes. National Firearms Association president Blair Hagen said gun owners are "very gratified" to hear Toews' pledge, and feel reassured the sweeping regulatory changes will not proceed as published. "After they were published in the Canada Gazette there was a...

There are two stories that have come to light recently, the first is the awarding of a contract to a munitions manufacturer for 450,000,000 hollow point rounds for the .40 caliber. The second story which I wrote is how the Department of Homeland Security had already ordered 200,000,000 rounds of .40 caliber, but also ordered 15,000 gun cleaning kits for the .40 caliber weapons, and has put a request out for a virtual shooting gallery for the .40 caliber handguns. 650,000,000 round of ammunition is quite a bit of lead and brass. It will sure to drive the price of...

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office is getting an "indefinite delivery" of an "indefinite quantity" of .40 caliber bullets from defense contractor ATK. U.S. agents will receive a maximum of 450 million rounds over five years, according to a press release on the deal. The high performance HST bullets are designed for law enforcement and ATK says they offer "optimum penetration for terminal performance." This refers to the the bullet's hollow-point tip that passes through barriers without getting warped out of shape. We've also learned that the Department has an open bid...

"This ammunition is too 'toxic.'" "This ammunition is too capable of defeating police body armor." As for finding ammunition that will be judged to be "just right," don't hold your breath. There is a renewed push underway to compel the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban lead bullets and shotgun pellets. From the New York Times: Citing risks to birds and to human health, roughly 100 environmental groups formally asked the federal Environmental Protection Agency this week to ban or at least impose limits on lead in the manufacturing of bullets and shotgun pellets for hunting or recreation. The bans,...

The Intel Hub alerts us to a shocking new defense contract entered by the Department of Homeland Security to secure a massive amount of ammunition, with the option for infinite supply, infinite delivery. ATK Awarded Contract to Supply 450 Million Rounds of .40 Caliber Ammunition to the Department of Homeland Security ATK has secured a major Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity deal to supply up to 450 million rounds of .40 caliber ammunition to the Department of Homeland Security. The 1 year contract with four option years comes at a time when many Americans believe that DHS, along with certain aspects of...

Following the filing of yet another petition with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeking to ban the use of traditional ammunition (ammunition containing lead-core components) by America’s sportsmen and women, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry, is urging Congress to pass the “Sportsmen’s Heritage Act of 2012″ (H.R. 4089). This important legislation combines four legislative priorities including the Hunting, Fishing, and Recreational Shooting Protection Act (H.R. 1558), which amends the Toxic Substances Control Act to clarify the original intent of Congress to exclude traditional ammunition and fishing tackle...

In Washington, D.C., it is illegal to posses ammunition if you don’t have a gun registered. It is also unlawful to have ammo that is not in the same caliber or gauge as your legal gun. The penalty for holding a round of the wrong caliber is up to a year in jail -- as stiff as the punishment for illegal gun possession. So I was very careful not to buy ammunition before I had my legally registered gun at home. Although I wondered about the purpose of the law. What’s the worst I could do with ammo, but no...

Chester, Ill. — State. Rep. Jerry Costello II (D-Smithton) issued the following statement regarding a myriad of anti-gun proposals recently introduced by Chicago politicians, including House Bill 5167, a bill that would add two percent surcharge on the sale of ammunition: “As we make more and more progress towards the passage of a conceal and carry law in Illinois, anti-gun politicians from Chicago are desperately throwing up radical bills that deny the constitutionally-protected rights of law-abiding Illinoisans. These include proposals to require a $65 registration fee per handgun and to add an additional tax on ammunition. Making gun owners register...

Fires can't burn in the oxygen-free vacuum of space, but guns can shoot. Modern ammunition contains its own oxidizer, a chemical that will trigger the explosion of gunpowder, and thus the firing of a bullet, wherever you are in the universe. No atmospheric oxygen required. The only difference between pulling the trigger on Earth and in space is the shape of the resulting smoke trail. In space, "it would be an expanding sphere of smoke from the tip of the barrel," said Peter Schultz an astronomer at Brown University who researches impact craters. The possibility of gunfire in space allows...

Reports that a mysterious company has been buying up U.S. gun manufacturers have been popping up on the internet for several months. When we first learned of the possibility that a single company was rapidly acquiring companies like Bushmaster, Remington, and Marlin Firearms we immediately suspected that something was amiss. Apparently, we were not alone, because others were thinking the same thing. One rumor that popped up was that global financier George Soros, historically an anti-gun advocate, was behind the moves, and that he was positioning the gun industry to reduce pro-gun lobbying efforts. This prompted the National Rifle Association...

Seven decades after Pearl Harbor and one decade after 9/11 we Americans dare not remain willfully oblivious to the threat of the Black Swan. Our grand American experiment is more vulnerable now that it was in 1941 and it is certainly more precariously balanced than it was in 2011. These conundrums are what Donald Rumsfeld might describe as the "known unknowns" but by definition a Black Swan event is as surprising as it is earth shattering. So all of these threats which beset us are by definition not Black Swan events. They are known risks. There are many more risks...

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-09-29/cremation-ashes-ammunition-guns-Holy-Smoke/50610712/1 Linked due to copyright.

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Officials at Fort Bragg say an investigation is under way into the disappearance of nearly 14,000 rounds of ammunition at the Army base. Staff Sgt. Joshua Ford, a spokesman for the 82nd Airborne Division, says the ammunition went missing from the 1st Brigade Combat Team at Fort Bragg.

California recently instituted as part of its budget solution an “Amazon Tax” aimed at forcing out-of-state, online retailers with no physical presence in the Golden State to collect and remit sales tax in respect of goods sold to Californians where the retailer in question advertises, or maintains an “affiliate” referral relationship, with websites based within state lines. Prior to passage of the bill obligating collection and remittance in such circumstances, prominent online retailers including Amazon.com and Overstock.com had threatened to terminate relationships with affiliates, if the legislation became law. Now that it has, and affiliate relationships are being severed, something...

So I'm at the local sports big box store and a clerk from the gun counter tells me that the government has chemist working on ammunition that will only have a 5 month shelf life. I tell him I never heard of this. He tells me to look it up. So I went home and I did. All I could find on the internet were rumors, nothing solid.I ask a fellow I know who works in the sporting section at Walmart about this. He told me he has had several people ask him if our ammo is the kind with...

ABERDEEN, Md. --- Tell a Soldier he's loading "environmentally friendly" ammo into his M4 mag and he might be skeptical about whether it's as effective as its lead counterpart. But Army officials here say the new M855A1 Enhanced Performance Round -- with its steel core instead of a toxic lead slug -- is far more effective than the current round, doubling the effective range and for the first time giving M4-wielding Joes the ability to penetrate barriers once reserved for higher-caliber rounds. "There's a stigma among Soldiers about something that's 'green,' " said Lt. Col. Jeff Woods, the Army's small...

TUCSON — Nogales station Border Patrol agents prevented nearly 5,000 rounds of ammunition from being smuggled out of the United States and into the hands of transnational criminal organizations in Mexico on Sunday. Agents from the Nogales Border Patrol station responded to reports of three suspicious individuals dressed in black carrying backpacks just north of the International Boundary Fence (IBF). Upon arrival, agents observed one subject fitting the description running south, leaving behind three backpacks. At the same time, operators using a Remote Video Surveillance System (RVSS) observed two other subjects absconding into Mexico over the IBF. During an inspection...

INDIANAPOLIS -- A deputy in the Indiana Attorney General's Office faces an internal review over online comments he made concerning protesters at the Wisconsin Legislature. Mother Jones, a political website, tweeted Saturday "Sources in Madison say riot police have been ordered to clear protesters from capitol at 2 am," to which Deputy Attorney General Jeff Cox responded using his personal account, "Use live ammunition." Editor's Note: Jeff Cox is the son of 6News reporter Norman Cox. In an article published Wednesday on Mother Jones, author Adam Weinstein said Cox continued to advocate the use of deadly force on protesters. Cox...

Sleek, its lines rakishly tilted to boost the ergonomics that index grip placement to barrel, this automatic pistol has but one function: to eliminate human beings easily. That sinister intent is expressed most eloquently in the extended magazine that reaches far beneath the pistol grip, easily tripling the amount of ammunition available to the killer. It's the Colt Super .38 automatic pistol, customized into a machine pistol by an underworld gunsmith so that Babyface Nelson could use it to kill an FBI agent outside Little Bohemia, Wis., in 1934. Maybe you saw the movie. Even if you didn't, you can...

More than 100,000 new state-of-the-art lightweight SA80 rifle magazines have arrived in Afghanistan to be used by troops fighting on the front line. The 30-round Magpul EMAG magazine is around half the weight of a standard metal magazine and helps reduce the weight that soldiers have to carry in their kit. Made from a polymer, the EMAG weighs 130g compared to its metal equivalent of 249g. Troops carry up to 12 magazines, so this change means each carries around one kilogramme less weight in total than before. Although it is lighter than others, the EMAG is robust; it's durability is...

Fresno jurist says statute was "unconstitutionally vague" A Fresno County Superior Court judge has blocked a pending state law that would have required Californians to provide a thumbprint and photo identification when buying handgun ammunition. Judge Jeffrey Hamilton ruled from the bench late Tuesday that the law scheduled to go into effect Feb. 1 was “unconstitutionally vague.” Gun-rights groups had argued that some types of ammunition can be used in both handguns and rifles, making enforcement and compliance a challenge. One of those making that case is Marc Halcon, owner of the American Shooting Center in San Diego. “When legislation...

Hey all, I got a used Remington 597 a little while back (love it!) and I'm wondering what a good brand of bulk .22lr ammo is. I ran 100 minimags and federal game shoks through it tonight, and they performed well, but it would be nice to have something cheaper for general practice. Any recommendations? Thanks in advance, ~v.a.

Last year, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Assembly Bill 962, making it a crime to deliver handgun ammunition if the transaction is not done face-to-face, and if the driver fails to determine, through government identification, whether the recipient is legally authorized to receive the ammo. This is a back door effort by the anti-gun lobby to stop private ownership of guns. In the immortal words of Rooster Cogburn, "A gun that's unloaded and cocked ain't good for nothing." This law is scheduled to go into effect in February and criminalizes much of the commercial shipping of handgun ammunition in the state....

“Recently, the NFATCA took the lead on an issue that could have far-reaching consequences in the NFA and Sporting communities,” the National Firearms Act Trade & Collectors Association reports. What issue? It was learned that ATF was seeking to create a definition of small arms ammunition under the aegis of the Safe Explosives Act. The definition was being created as an opinion letter and had no input from the firearms community. Why is a revised definition needed? What is the impetus behind this effort to increase the Bureau’s regulatory control reach? And why exclude the people who it would compel...

Gander Mountain is having a Thanksgiving weekend special on Remington UMC 9mm Luger ammo. Went in this morning to purchase ... and the guy at the counter asked for my pistol permit. Huh? Never before have I been asked for a pistol permit in order to purchase ammo. I live just over the state line in New Jersey, and getting a pistol permit here is generally about a 30-day effort. So I'll miss this sale. Is this a new law in New York? I never encountered this situation before.

A day after union workers rejected for a second time a contract that might have saved their jobs, the Metro East company told them it was moving about 1,000 ammunition production jobs from Metro East to Oxford, Miss. As members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 9 left the East Alton catering hall where the ballots were tallied Tuesday night, more than a few of the employees ventured that Olin was bluffing. The company, they maintained, had no intention of following through on its threat to move their jobs. On Wednesday, Olin called their bluff by...

Talk about a rocky relationship ending badly… First, the union boss scolded his members for sharing information with their co-workers about what was going on behind closed doors at the bargaining table. Then, a couple of weeks ago, some individual(s) beat up the union boss. Now, things are going to get a lot more tense in East Alton, Illinois. On Wednesday, after workers represented by the International Association of Machinists voted down a contract offer for the second time, they learned that their employer was not bluffing about moving their jobs to Mississippi.

The Ministry of Defense of Spain has awarded General Dynamics European Land Systems, through its Spanish subsidiary Santa Bárbara Sistemas S.A., a four-year contract for the supply of 5,56x45 mm NATO ammunition for the Spanish Army, Air Force and Navy. The contract has a maximum potential value of approximately €20 million ($27.9 million) if all options are exercised. The 5,56x45mm ammunition, officially referred to as “5.56 NATO,” is the standard ammunition for the armed forces of all NATO members and many other countries around the world. The ammunition will be manufactured in Palencia, in the center of Spain. With this...

The Olin Corp. announced Wednesday that it will suspend production of centerfire ammunition at its plant in East Alton and re-locate the manufacturing operation to Oxford, Miss. The move comes less than 24 hours after members of the union representing over Olin 800 workers rejected concessions that would have allowed them to keep their jobs. "Our focus always has been on ensuring that we continue producing high-quality products for our customers in an increasingly competitive market," president and CEO Joseph D. Rupp said in a prepared statement. "While I am disappointed that employees represented by the International Association of Machinists...

With Election Day fast approaching, it's time to remind Republicans of the unused ammunition they have only three more weeks to expend. In the spirit of the Marine Corps aviators -- one of whose mottos is, "never return to base with unexpended ordnance" -- here are a few cases of bombs that are still hanging on the Republicans' wings waiting to be dropped.

SNIPPET: "BRANFORD, Conn. — Police and FBI agents Friday night said a tractor-trailer stopped in Branford, Conn., and suspected of carrying explosives was empty, NBC station WVIT of Hartford reported." SNIPPET: "Police were told to be on the lookout for a brown Peterbilt tractor-trailer that may have a bomb in it that was en route from Rhode Island to New York City, the New Haven Register reported. Officers were told if they encountered it to stop it and create a perimeter and stand by. Branford is about 80 miles north of New York City. In another incident, around 6:21 p.m....

Regulation: The U.S. Supreme Court says Americans have an individual right to keep and bear arms. The EPA says the bullets for those guns may be banned as an environmental hazard. The endless power grabs by the federal leviathan know no boundaries of law, science or even common sense. The Environmental Protection Agency of Lisa Jackson is seriously considering a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity, a leading anti-hunting group, to ban all traditional lead ammunition under the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) of 1976. If the EPA approves the petition, the result will be a ban on all...

SIERRA VISTA — A man attempting to illegally enter the United States at the Naco port of entry has been charged with assault after he kicked a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer in the face. The incident occurred Monday at about 8 p.m. when officers at the port of entry noticed a man trying to walk into the U.S. through the outbound pedestrian lane leading into Mexico, according to a release from the federal agency. When officers made their way towards the man, he began climbing a security fence to avoid capture. As they attempted to apprehend him, the...

"EPA Now Accepting Public Comment on Petition to Ban Lead in Ammunition and Fishing Tackle" Thursday, August 26, 2010 By Susan Jones, Senior Editor SNIPPET: "(CNSNews.com) – Environmental activists are pressing the Obama administration to ban the manufacture, processing and distribution lead shot, bullets, and fishing sinkers under the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, but hunting and Second Amendment groups say the EPA lacks the authority to do so, for starters." SNIPPET: "The public comment period opened on Aug. 25 and ends on October 31. The EPA must decide whether to accept or reject the petition by November 1,...

Embracing her strong pro-gun stance, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann fired off a few rounds from an M4 carbine Thursday morning, according to employees of a local ammunition manufacturer in her district. The pro-Second Amendment conservative and rising Tea Party movement icon made the final public campaign stop of her two-day bus tour at Federal Ammunition ATK in Anoka, Minnesota. Photography and videotaping were not allowed. Employees of ATK who were in attendance told CNN about the visit before the campaign ushered them away saying details for the press would be provided by the campaign. Two employees said Bachmann fired off...

Environmental activists are pressing the Obama administration to ban the manufacture, processing and distribution lead shot, bullets, and fishing sinkers under the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, but hunting and Second Amendment groups say the EPA lacks the authority to do so, for starters. A petition submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency on Aug. 3 says ammunition and tackle manufacturers are now marketing a wide variety of non-lead, nontoxic bullets, shotgun pellets and fishing tackle, which can and should be used instead of lead projectiles and weights. “There is no technological or commercial reason why nontoxic ammunition and fishing...

No, really, the EPA is considering a ban on traditional ammunition. That my friends translate into a ban on traditional hunting. The EPA is considering a petition that would ban all ammunition that contains lead core components like…well, almost all ammunition used in hunting or target shooting. While I suppose bow hunters would be fine, at least for a while, (as well as those Davy Crockett types who can bag a bear with a sharpened stick and a truck load of testosterone) it leaves the rest of us pretty well screwed. I have included the entire article from The National...

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Here’s an astounding bit of government overreach: NSSF [National Shooting Sports Foundation] is springing into action, as the public comment period opens on EPA considering a regulation that will ban all traditional lead ammunition. This would basically end the shooting sports as we know it. Remember this is a no-win situation for us, because bullets made of materials other than lead are often considered armor piercing by law. Copper is your basic material, and copper is expensive, and has much poorer performance properties than lead.

A 24-year-old Miami Beach man accused in a scheme to illegally ship nearly $300 million in Chinese-made ammunition to Afghan soldiers is now the target of an Orlando federal criminal investigation. Efraim Diveroli, a military contractor who pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in a South Florida federal case last year, was arrested Friday. A criminal complaint filed in Orlando charges Diveroli with two counts: possessing firearms as a convicted felon and possessing firearms by a person under indictment for a felony offense.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency has received a petition to ban lead in hunting ammunition and fishing tackle, and Oregon wildlife officials are watching with some concern. Also worried are people in the shooting sports. “This is a serious issue for anyone who likes to target practice, shoot for fun or enjoy hunting, and will be a huge impact on shooting ranges across the nation,” said Mike McCarter, range master of the Albany Rifle and Pistol Club, which maintains a range at Saddle Butte east of Shedd. “We are energizing our membership to send letters to the EPA in opposition...

Oppose Petition to Ban Traditional AmmunitionNSSF All Gun Owners, Hunters and Shooters, The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) -- the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry -- urges you to contact the Environmental Protection Agency to oppose a petition filed August 3 by the extremist Center for Biological Diversity to ban traditional ammunition. Your right to choose the ammunition you hunt and shoot with is at stake. Express your opposition by calling or e-mailing: Lisa P. Jackson Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC 20460 (202) 564-4700 Fax: (202) 501-1450 Email:...

Lead, for centuries the core ingredient of ammunition, is now coming under attack itself. As the American military begins to embrace “green bullets,” environmental groups are pushing state and federal officials to ban the use of lead in hunters’ guns and fishermen’s tackle. Their goal is to protect both the animals that scavenge the carcasses of hunted prey and the people who consume meat from hunting expeditions. On Tuesday, the Center for Biological Diversity and the American Bird Conservancy plan to file a petition with the Environmental Protection Agency seeking a comprehensive nationwide ban on lead-based sporting ammunition and fishing...

Seven months before California’s new law regulating the sale of ammunition fully takes effect, a local ammunition business has taken the state to court with a constitutional challenge. State Ammunition Inc. in Ventura has filed a federal suit alleging the law violates the Commerce Clause by prohibiting ammunition sellers from making sales that aren’t face-to-face transactions. “StateAmmo.com will be unable to sell ammunition to purchasers in 49 other states, resulting in an immediate and devastating loss of income, business growth, good will and customers,” the suit states. A second plaintiff, Jim Otten, who sells ammunition from Minnesota at A1ammo.com, would...